Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Vega Red’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Vega Red’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; dark green-colored leaves; uniform and freely flowering habit; and relatively large decorative-type inflorescences with deep red-colored ray florets that resist fading under full sunlight conditions.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘VEGA RED’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Vega Red’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new uniformly mounding and freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Chrysanthemum plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in September, 2010 of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘PPP OLW 07’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,393, as the female, or seed, parent with Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Carpino Red’, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in September, 2011.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative terminal cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in January, 2012. Asexual reproduction by vegetative terminal cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Vega Red’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Vega Red’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant         habit; moderately vigorous growth habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   4. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   5. Relatively large decorative-type inflorescences with deep         red-colored ray florets that resist fading under full sunlight         conditions.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the female parent, ‘PPP OLW 07’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more compact than plants         of ‘PPP OLW 07’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have smaller leaves than         plants of ‘PPP OLW 07’.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘PPP OLW 07’ differ in         ray floret color as inflorescences of plants of ‘PPP OLW 07’         have red-colored ray florets that fade under full sunlight         conditions.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the male parent, ‘Carpino Red’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are larger than plants of         ‘Carpino Red’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger inflorescences         than plants of ‘Carpino Red’.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Carpino Red’ differ in         ray floret color as inflorescences of plants of ‘Carpino Red’         have darker red-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Helen Red’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of ‘Helen Red’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more rounded than and not         as upright as plants of ‘Helen Red’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more flexible than and         not as brittle as plants of ‘Helen Red’.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Helen Red’ differ in ray         floret color as inflorescences of plants of ‘Helen Red’ have         red-colored ray florets that fade under full sunlight         conditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Vega Red’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium during the summer and autumn and under cultural practices generally used in commercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 20° C. to 25° C. and night temperatures ranged from 12° C. to 18° C. Plants were 20 weeks old when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2005 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Vega Red’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘PPP OLW             07’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,393.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Carpino             Red’, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Vegetative terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days             at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days             at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; typically light brown in             color, actual color of the roots dependent on substrate             composition, water quality, fertilizer, substrate             temperature and age of roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; stems             upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly rounded             appearance to the plant; plants nearly spherical in overall             shape; very freely branching habit, about 25 primary lateral             branches develop, each primary lateral branch with multiple             secondary branches; pinching enhances lateral branch             development; dense and full plant habit; moderately vigorous             growth habit; medium growth rate.         -   Plant height.—About 35 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 50 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 25 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm             to 3 mm. Internode length: About 2.5 cm. Strength: Strong,             flexible. Aspect: Upright to outwardly spreading. Texture:             Pubescent; longitudinally ridged. Luster: Matte. Color:             Close to 136A.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 2.5 cm             to 4.5 cm. Width: About 1.5 cm to 3 cm. Apex: Rounded to             cuspidate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and             serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent to             parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly             pubescent. Luster, upper and lower surfaces: Matte. Color:             Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 139C. Developing             leaves, lower surface: Close to 137D. Fully expanded leaves,             upper surface: Close to N137C; venation, close to 148C.             Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B;             venation, close to 147B to 147C. Petioles: Length: About             1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Slightly pubescent; slightly rough. Luster, upper             and lower surfaces: Matte. Color, upper surface: Close to             146C. Color, lower surface: Close to 146D. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form;             inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc             and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant, pungent.         -   Flowering time.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower in early September in Belgium.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about five weeks on the plant grown in an             outdoor nursery; inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about 20 inflorescences developing per lateral branch with             numerous inflorescences developing per plant.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 8 mm. Diameter: About             1.2 cm. Shape: Globular. Texture: Smooth. Color: Close to             144A and 137C.         -   Inflorescence size and shape.—Diameter: Relatively large,             about 5 cm. Depth (height): About 4 cm. Disc diameter: About             1.5 mm.         -   Receptacles.—Diameter: About 3 mm. Height: About 2.5 mm to             3 mm. Shape: Circular; raised dome. Texture: Smooth,             glabrous. Color: Close to 144B.         -   Ray florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About or more than             125 to 150 ray florets per inflorescence arranged in about             eight whorls. Length: About 3.5 cm to 5 cm. Width: About             7 mm. Shape: Oval. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Entire. Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Luster, upper and lower             surfaces: Matte. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper             surface: Close to 53A; color does not fade with development             nor under full sunlight conditions. When opening and fully             opened, lower surface: Close to 185B; color does not fade             with development.         -   Disc florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About 150 disc             florets per inflorescence and spirally massed at the center             of the receptacle. Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 0.5             mm to 1 mm. Shape: Tubular, elongated; apices acute.             Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Apex: Close to 144C;             becoming closer to 12A with development. Mid-section: Close             to 5B. Base: Close to 145D.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity and arrangement: About 25 phyllaries             per inflorescence arranged in about two or three whorls.             Length: About 4 mm to 6 mm. Width: About 2 mm to 3 mm.             Shape: Ovate. Apex: Rounded. Base: Rounded to truncate.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous. Luster, upper and lower surfaces: Matte. Color,             upper surface: Close to 137A. Color, lower surface: Close to             N137B.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 4 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 6 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About             8 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Angle: About 30° from vertical.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Slightly pubescent.             Luster: Matte. Color: Close to 146B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: None observed. Gynoecium:             None observed.         -   Seeds and fruit.—Seed and fruit production have not been             observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Chrysanthemum plants has not been observed on plants of the new     Chrysanthemum grown under commercial production conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate     temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Vega Red’ as illustrated and described. 